The Central Crime Branch (CCB) of Bengaluru arrested two individuals involved in a sophisticated extortion scheme targeting politicians and businessmen. Identified as Santosh alias Suresh Ranjan and Puttaraju, both residents of Mysore, the accused allegedly orchestrated a scheme involving blackmail through fabricated videos.
According to officials, the modus operandi of the accused was to obtain the mobile numbers of prominent figures and meticulously track their movements, including details of their travels, meetings, and stays at luxury hotels. The perpetrators would then arrange encounters with young women during these events, covertly filming private interactions using concealed cameras planted in hotel rooms.
Upon obtaining compromising footage, the accused would demand exorbitant sums of money from their victims. If the demands were not met, they threatened to publicly release the videos online or hand them over to law enforcement agencies. The investigation was initiated following a complaint filed by K. Harish Gowda, MLA from Chamaraj Constituency in Mysore, on June 10.
Acting swiftly on the complaint, the CCB traced the extortion calls to Mysore and arrested Santosh and Puttaraju. During the arrest, law enforcement recovered an incriminating pen drive believed to contain evidence pivotal to the case.
Further revelations indicated that one of the accused had connections to the prostitution network in Mysore, allegedly using sex workers to facilitate the covert filming that fueled their blackmail operations.
While Santosh and Puttaraju are now in custody, authorities continue their efforts to locate a third accomplice who remains at large. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the network and identify any additional victims who may have fallen prey to this elaborate scheme.
